Search For A Safe Return: Will SpaceX Rescue Sunita and Wilmore?

Boeing’s first crewed Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) has faced serious problems. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams are still on board the station with no clear date of return while engineers assess the spacecraft’s safety.

This extended stay may cause delays for other planned ISS missions. According to sources from Ars Technica, a tech news website, NASA is now moving the Crew-9 mission launch from August 18 to September 24, which is a significant delay.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon mission is scheduled to take three NASA astronauts and one Roscosmos astronaut to the space station. However, if the Starliner returns to Earth without any crew, NASA may send the SpaceX spacecraft with just two astronauts. This would create room for Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore to come back home.

NASA has not made an official statement yet, but it is expected to share its decision this week. The situation is not looking great for Boeing’s Starliner, which has already faced years of delays, budget issues and significant technical problems before it got stuck at the station.

According to Ars Technica, NASA has been thinking about using a Crew Dragon spacecraft to bring back the two astronauts stranded for more than one month. Engineers are still investigating the problems with several thrusters that malfunctioned when the Starliner docked with the station two months ago, as reported by The Byte.

NASA is facing a difficult situation. The space station has only two docking ports for crew vehicles, and one is blocked by Boeing’s troubled Starliner. The other port is occupied by the SpaceX Crew-8 spacecraft, which is set to return by the end of the month. Even without a crew, NASA will still face significant risks. In the worst-case scenario, the Starliner could fail to adjust its orbit and might collide with the station after undocking, according to Ars Technica.

Meanwhile, Boeing insists that it is making good progress by gathering data during its first crewed flight test. Boeing is confident about the Starliner spacecraft and its ability to safely return with a crew. The company stated last week that it would continue to assist NASA by providing more testing, data, analysis and reviews to ensure that the spacecraft could undock and land safely.

(The author of this article is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany)

(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own and do not reflect those of DNA)